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The partnership will improve control of COVID-19 in Minnesota through increased public health surveillance and research. The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) and its public health partners will simultaneously expand contact tracing efforts for better control of the infection. The partnership will help to identify and respond to emerging “hotspots” of infection. They will collect data on prevalence, geographic distribution, and barriers to care for the virus, and they will conduct groundbreaking research on COVID-19 to assure that tests are applied according to the best emerging science.
In partnership with MDH, the Mayo Clinic and the U of M will create a central lab to accommodate the expanded testing and a virtual command center in coordination with the health systems to monitor daily testing needs and coordinate rapid responses to outbreaks.
The expanded testing will include intensive testing of: vulnerable populations, including Minnesotans living in congregate settings and those experiencing homelessness; staff that serve vulnerable populations and health care workers; communities of color and American Indian populations; and workforce for critical infrastructure.
The House Health and Human Services Finance Committee held a hearing on Thursday to learn more about the strategy. You can watch that hearing here.
House committee passes $100 million in housing assistance
The Housing Finance and Policy Division met remotely on Wednesday to hear HF 4541. The bill allocates $100 million to the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency (MHFA) to assist thousands of Minnesota renters with their monthly payments. In addition, the funding will be used to help Minnesotans pay utility bills and property taxes, and help homeowners pay their mortgages.
Governor Walz's moratorium on evictions during the COVID-19 peacetime emergency was an important start, but the Legislature can do more. If we don't take robust and immediate action, Minnesota could face a housing crisis larger than we saw during the financial collapse of 2008.
The House proposal has broad support, ranging from the Homes for All Coalition, representing 250 Minnesota housing organizations, to the Minnesota Multi-Housing Association, which represents property management companies throughout the state. Testifiers included Attorney General Keith Ellison, who spoke about protecting tenants from forced removal during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Despite this consensus, Minnesota Senate Republicans are insisting on only one-third of the funding and the ability for landlords to evict their unemployed tenants, leaving them with nowhere to go.
The federal government already approved an eviction moratorium in the CARES Act that prohibits evictions on a substantial share of Minnesota properties through September. It makes sense for the state of Minnesota to match up with the national directive and avoid confusing landlords, renters and the courts.
The bill was referred to the Ways and Means Committee for consideration.
A recording of the hearing is available here.
Governor Walz extends distance learning until end of school year, increasing need to address racial disparities and guarantee pay for hourly school employees
Yesterday, Governor Walz announced that distance learning will be extended through the end of the school year:
Continuing distance learning is the right decision, but it makes our work to address Minnesota’s racial disparities in education even more pressing. All Minnesota children deserve a great education — whether that’s in the classroom or in the distance learning reality we find ourselves in now. We will continue to monitor how this is affecting our students and how we can bridge the opportunity gap to ensure every student has the chance to succeed.
The House is also working on legislation to make sure our hourly school employees receive compensation during this difficult time. Our legislation, HF 4415, passed out of the House Education Finance Committee on Tuesday and will be heard next in Ways and Means.
 Certain non-critical businesses allowing the re-open
On Thursday, Governor Walz announced his decision to allow certain non-critical businesses to safely return to work. Developed in partnerships with hundreds of businesses, labor and worker organizations, and public health experts, this action will allow 80,000-100,000 Minnesotans to return to work in industrial, manufacturing, and office settings on Monday, April 27.
Minnesotans need as much economic security as we can provide during this public health crisis, and those least likely to have it are being hardest hit. House DFLers are working to ensure the health and economic well-being of Minnesotans now and into the future.
Prior to loosening restrictions for a given setting, businesses must:
- Create, share, and implement a COVID-19 Preparedness Plan that sets out the actions they are taking to ensure social distancing, worker hygiene, and facility cleaning and disinfection necessary to keep workers safe
- Engage in health screening of employees and ensure that sick employees stay home
- Continue to work from home whenever possible
Visit mn.gov/deed/safework for more information. You can find the PowerPoint slides the Governor used here.
Contact me
My office will continue to be a resource to find answers to your questions and provide updates about the status of this public health crisis. Please reach out if I can be of assistance and consider sharing this email with your neighbor or relatives. If you know of anyone who would appreciate these updates, please let them know they can subscribe to my email list here.
House staff are tele-commuting in order to comply with public health guidance, so if you call my office at 651-296-7026, please be prepared to leave a voicemail message. You can also send an email to rep.ryan.winkler@house.mn.
Despite receiving a high volume of communication in recent days, I will respond to your messages as soon as possible. Thank you to everyone for doing your part in fighting the spread of COVID-19.
Sincerely,
Rep. Ryan Winkler
House Majority Leader
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